The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) is committed to providing students, faculty, staff, and visitors with disabilities equal access to SAIC-sponsored programs and events, such as visiting artist lectures, film screenings, exhibitions, year-end thesis shows, student art sales, symposia, and alumni events.
Students: for academic accommodations and other course-related support, please go to the Disability Learning and Resource Center page.
Staff and Faculty: for work-related accommodations, please go to the Human Resources intranet and see the “Employee Relations” page.
Attending an SAIC-sponsored Program or Event?
If you plan to attend a program or event at SAIC and would like to request accommodations such as captioning or interpretation, assisted listening, furniture/seating access, or recording, please complete the Accessibility Request Form. Please allow two business days for staff to make proper arrangements.
Accessibility Request Form (back online soon)
Please note that an event or program hosted by a third-party organization renting SAIC facilities is not considered an SAIC-sponsored program or event.
Access to the School
All School buildings are accessible at street level. Each building has accessible door doors at the main entrance which are clearly marked to accommodate people with disabilities.
Parking
Accessible parking, provided by third-party corporations, is located in the following garages near SAIC buildings. Please note that rates vary and that SAIC does not reimburse for parking expenses. Also note that none of these facilities accept oversized vans.
- Millennium Park garage (enter at Columbus Drive and Monroe Street), with 6' 8' clearance in some sections and an elevator at the exit
- Grant Park North garage (enter at Michigan Avenue between Madison and Randolph), with 6' 6" clearance for vans and an elevator at the exit
- 55 East Monroe Street garage (enter at Columbus Drive and Monroe Street), with 6' 8" clearance and exit ramps at Monroe Street
Please Visit Millennium Park Garages or 55 East Monroe for the most up-to-date information.
Inside the School
Elevators
Elevators are located throughout the School, with elevator service to all publicly accessible floors. When visiting a building for the first time, ask the SAIC security officer on duty the best route to the floor(s) you wish to access.
Mobility Devices
Wheelchairs are allowed in all areas of the School. These devices include manual or electric single seat chairs, electric mobility seated scooters and knee scooters, and other manually operated mobility devices including walkers, crutches, canes, braces, and other similar devices.
Hearing-Assist Devices
The following SAIC facilities are equipped with hearing-assistance devices:
MacLean Center
112 South Michigan Avenue
SAIC Ballroom, 2 Floor Room 816
Sharp Building
37 South Wabash Avenue
The LeRoy Neiman Center, 1st Floor (installation in progress) Room 327
ADA Building Access
| Building | Access |
|---|---|
| MacLean 112 S. Michigan Ave. |
The building's automatic entrance door is located 2 doors south on Michigan Ave and can be opened with SAIC keycard swipe or tap the numbers on the panel. This elevator takes riders to the 1st floor where security desk check-in with photo ID is required. To reach the MacLean Ballroom from the security desk, take the main bank of elevators to floor 2M. |
|
Lakeview Building
116 S. Michigan Ave.
|
The building is equipped with an automatic entrance door leading to elevators to all floors. All buildings at SAIC require security desk check-in with photo ID. |
| 280 Building 280 S. Columbus Dr. |
The building is equipped with an automatic entrance door. All floors are accessible via the elevator or wheelchair stair lift. All buildings at SAIC require security desk check-in with photo ID. |
| Sullivan Center 36 S. Wabash Ave. |
Public access to the Sullivan Center Galleries is through the State Street entrance at 33 S. State St. The building is equipped with an automatic entrance door at both the Wabash and State St. entrances. All buildings at SAIC require security desk check-in with photo ID. |
| 33 S. State Street, 7th Floor | The building is equipped with an automatic entrance door. All buildings at SAIC require security desk check-in with photo ID. |
| Sharp Building 37 S. Wabash Ave. |
The building is equipped with an automatic entrance door next to the revolving doors. Neiman Center gallery and lecture spaces are on the first floor. Upper floors can be accessed by elevators located just past the security desk. All buildings at SAIC require security desk check-in with photo ID. |
| Spertus Institute, 610 S. Michigan | The building is equipped with an automatic entrance door. All buildings at SAIC require security desk check-in with photo ID. |
| Homan Square, 906 S. Homan Square | The south side of the building is equipped with an automatic entrance door with a call box to alert the security desk to activate the door. |
| Museum, Rubloff, 230 S. Columbus Dr. | Entry from 230 S. Columbus Dr. does not have an automatic entrance door, but staff are stationed at the doors for events. The auditorium is wheelchair accessible and and hearing assisted devices are available. Sign language interpretation is available upon request for any public lecture or gallery talk. |
| Museum, Fullterton Hall | Fullterton Hall is accessible via the main (Michigan Ave) entrance of the museum. All museum auditoriums are equipped with designated wheelchair areas, and hearing assisted devices are available. Sign language interpretation is available upon request for any public lecture. All auditoriums are equipped with an assistive listening system that includes t-coil compatibility. Devices are available free of charge in the back of each auditorium. Earpieces are provided, and each device supports a standard 3.5mm connection for personal headphones or adaptive devices. |
| Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State Street | The Film Center is fully ADA accessible. Spaces have been designated to accommodate two wheelchairs or mobility devices in each auditorium, providing unrestricted sightlines. Up to four companion seats, if needed, have been set aside next to each wheelchair-accessible area. Both theaters are equipped with hearing loops. Open Captioned (OC) showtimes are presented with on screen subtitling and sound descriptions. For more information, please visit the Gene Siskel Film Center Accessibility & Inclusion page. |
Gender Neutral Restrooms
| Building | Floor | Single Stall Locations | Multi Stall Locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| MacLean 112 S. Michigan Ave. |
1 | 115 | |
| 3 |
320
321
|
||
| 4 | 427 | ||
| 13 | 1309 | ||
|
Lakeview Building
116 S. Michigan Ave.
|
2 | 208 | |
| 8 | 810 | ||
| 10 | 1016 | ||
| 13 | 1322 | ||
| 14 | 1430 | ||
| 162 Residences 162 N. State St. |
4 | 404 | |
| 280 Building 280 S. Columbus Dr. |
2 | 213, 216 | |
| Sullivan Center 36 S. Wabash Ave. |
12 | 1254 | |
| Sharp Building 37 S. Wabash Ave. |
2 | 250 | |
| 3 | 341 | ||
| 6 | 608 | ||
| 10 | 1004 | ||
|
Jones Hall
7 W. Madison Ave.
|
3 | 309 | |
| 15 | 1502C | ||
|
Gene Siskel Film Center
164 N. State Street
|
3 |
Workplace Accommodations
Faculty Accommodations:
Current SAIC faculty seeking workplace accommodations should refer to SAIC's Workplace Accommodation Policy for Faculty.
Staff Accommodations:
Current SAIC staff seeking workplace accommodations are advised to speak with their manager and/or Human Resources - Employee Relations. Please refer to SAIC's Workplace Accommodation Policy.
Service Animals
Animals are not permitted in any SAIC campus building. However, Service animals are permitted in all SAIC buildings for individuals with disabilities.
A service animal is defined as any dog (or in some cases a miniature horse) that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability. The work or task that the dog performs must be directly related to the individual’s disability, and can include a wide variety of services, such as assisting those with low vision, alerting individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, recognizing an impending seizure, and retrieving items such as medicine or the telephone. Students who use a service animal are not required to register the animal with SAIC administration.
SAIC reserves the right to require the student to immediately remove a service animal from any SAIC building if (i) the animal poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others, (ii) the owner cannot effectively control the animal, or (iii) the animal is not housebroken.
